Ramblings from a Country family and the country life. We love the peaceful family life of the country. We are on a journey through our life to promote family values and good morals. Crafts, critters, cooking and more...

Saturday, June 30, 2007

Service businesses are a great field to get into, whether you provide offline or online services it's an easy way to start your own business with usually very low start-up costs. With the number of businesses you can easily start from home there simply isn't an excuse to not start your own business.

So if you've been thinking about it, here are a few in-demand home business ideas:

Transcription - If you can type (or can learn how to, it's really not too difficult), have a good eye for detail and want to work from home, this is a great profession to get into. You can find clients online and locally. You can transcribe for real estate agents, insurance brokers, online marketers, speakers, consultants and a huge range of other clients. Transcriptionists are in high demand and is a very easy business to start from home.

Virtual Assistants - Similar to a secretary or administrative assistants, VAs (virtual assistants) are a growing field. Many entrepreneurs have home businesses now and need someone to help them run their business - what better person to turn to than a VA. Similar to transcription this is a high-demand field and a relatively easy business to start.

Ghost Writer - Just the name alone sounds exciting, but make no mistake, ghost writing isn't some mysterious profession you see only in movies, it's a very real in-demand field. This is especially true when it comes to online marketers and website owners who have a need for quality content. You can also write articles for local newspapers, magazines and a number of other publications. If you love to write, you can take that passion and turn it into a very profitable and cool at-home business.

Cleaning Service - Okay, this may not be the most glamorous business in the world, but hey there's a lot of money to be made here. If you enjoy cleaning and take pride in your work you can easily set up your own maid or cleaning service. You can also take one step further and manage the business and hire a team of cleaners to do the job for you. With so many parents and single professionals working such long hours plus the increase of disposable income, you can certain "clean up" with your own maid service.

Those are just a few service businesses you can start from home. Relatively easy to start, low cost and plain old easy, there's no good reason NOT to start your own business.

To learn how to make it BIG with your own service Business, visit Moms Talk Biz for a range of fun and profitable at-home business ideas.

There are many services that translate well into home businesses. One of the main reasons that many moms want to work from home is flexibility. A research business provides the ultimate in flexibility, and allows you to do a large portion of the required work at home.

The Internet is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. That means that any research that you can do online can be done whenever you wish. You can work after the kids are in bed, before they get up in the mornings, or even during the day. Research can always be put on hold while you’re cooking meals, giving baths, or playing a game of hide and seek. It will be there when you get back to it, ready for you to pick up where you left off.

You will likely be working with deadlines, but the ability to work at the time of day that is best for you is a huge asset when you’re a mom. As long as you take your deadline into account, you can easily work your research around the rest of your life.

Another good thing about research is the fact that you rarely have to leave the house to do it. Most of the time, client contact can be done by email. A great deal of information is available for free online if you know where to look. For those things that you can’t find freely, you might decide to invest into subscriptions to some paid online reference sources. Or you can make a trip to your local library to find more free information.

Getting research jobs often requires little or no formal training. While there are some scholarly publishers who desire a researcher with a specific college degree, many clients are content with a demonstrated ability to produce good results. Obtaining testimonials from satisfied customers can go a long way toward convincing potential customers that you are the person for the job.

The Internet provides more than just research opportunities. It also gives you numerous ways to gain new customers. Setting up a website detailing the type of work you do gives potential customers an easy way to learn about your services. Advertising on websites of interest to writers and pay per click search engine advertising are two ways to target your site to the right market. You could also join business networking communities to make valuable connections.

A research business is great for work at home moms because they can do most of the work and promotion from home. It also provides a great deal of flexibility. If you are good at digging up reliable information, research could be a profitable and enjoyable home business for you.

Friday, June 29, 2007

Our local newspaper today had an article about a man that will be chaining himself to a dog house this weekend. At first I thought it was some punishment that he had been given for animal cruelty. I read the article to find out that he is doing it for a reason and that reason is to show his support for the dogs.

Dogs Deserve Better"As the days become years, many of these dogs sit, lay, eat, and defecate within the same 10-foot radius. Chained by the neck, they exist without respect, love, exercise, social interaction, and sometimes even basic nourishment. They live as prisoners, yet long to be pets."

Mothers Against Dog Chaining is a newly-formed initiative of Dogs Deserve Better, and is led by DDB founder Tammy Grimes and Crystal Sinclair, mother of Makayla Sinclair who was killed by chained Great Danes in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, in October of 2003.

Unchain Your Dog "Imagine being chained to a tree year after year. You watch the door hoping someone will come play. No one ever does. You long to run, but you can only pace. You shiver in winter and pant in summer. Eventually, you stop barking. You have given up hope."

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Ok - I went surfing online again today. Well really I didn't, I just read a few emails that have been sitting and waiting until I got the time to read them. One of my favorite newsletters that I get is from The Old Farmer's Almanac. The Old Farmer's Almanac is something that could be found in our home for years and years. We always planted our vegetable garden by the signs. We would even schedule when to have our teeth pulled by the signs in The Old Farmer's Almanac. Since I have grown up and we don't farm to much anymore we don't use The Old Farmer's Almanac too much anymore. I sure know I miss having it around the house. But with the invention of the internet, I can always find it online for my reading enjoyment.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

I sure know that I can spend hours and hours online. I have got to start limiting the time that I spend in front of the computer and get outside more. It seems like I get a lot done while I am online. Why? Because I have dial up. LOL I click on several links and I wait for them to open. While I am waiting, I have a chance to check a few emails, open a few more links from our local newspaper, take something out for dinner, turn the horses out, put on a load of laundry, hang out a load of laundry, do a few things with the kids, run a few errands and so much more. Once all of that is done, I can finally sit back down to look at the links that I have opened. I save a lot of them to my favorites, so that I can go back and look at them later. Later when I have more time.

Our latest update is that things are going really well with the boys. They have settled in really nicely and our finalization for the adoption is approaching rather quickly. We still don't have a court date but we expect to have one any day now. It will be exciting for all of us. We plan to invite some family and some friends to join us when we go to court to sign all of the final paperwork and the judge can put his/her final approval on our adoption.

Now back to my online adventures. Well I did say ramblings from a country family...LOLOk - here are a couple of things that I have come across lately that I think you might like. And hey - if you don't like them, remember you have control, just click on the bright red box in the top right of your screen and close the window.

Rolling Dog Ranch Animal SanctuaryIf you are interested in posting a flyer in one of your local businesses, you can get the PDF flyer here FlyerI was amazed at what the Rolling Dog Ranch Animal Sanctuary is doing for the animals.

I wanted to invite you to join me on Gather. It's FREE. And best of all when you join and get five friends to join, you'll get a $20 Borders Gift Card!

Gather is a social network where people like us can write about and share our interests. The content is great and ranges from politics to cooking, plus you can publish your own articles or photos and comment on others' contributions. We even earn Gather Points just for using the site! You can exchange your points for great stuff like books, CDs, wine, and vacations. Check it out! Hope to see you on Gather.

Monday, June 25, 2007

You have got to check out the other side of the world. 2 friends that met somehow, someway online and have really hit it off and look forward to reading each others blogs. I think Karisma is just so wonderful and I love reading her blog now that she has finally started one. I love the colors that she has used for her blog. It is awesome - just like her.Take a trip on the wild side with Karisma...

Karisma and Kids The ramblings of nutty aussie mama of five very spirited kids, 2 dogs, a cockatiel with attitude, A Rat called Rupert and an Axylotl. Welcome to my world of children, homeschooling, crafting and coastal life in Australia..................

I have played ball with all of my horses many times. I just happen to pick up one of the kids ball last Friday and put it in with the horses. It is one of the big balls that has a handle that a child can sit on and bounce. Pretty cool invention. Well 2 of my horses thought it was pretty darn neat. They weren't very keen about sitting on it and bouncing. LOL But they liked to touch their nose to it and try to figure out if they could eat it. My 3rd horse - hmmm...well he thought it was some giant bouncing horse eating critter. There was no way this darn thing was going to touch him. He just walked away from it and avoided it. That was his way to say "hey giant bouncing horse eating critter, you will not eat me".

Now add a child on his back. Not good. The ball spooked the horse and he did a little buck, it's actually called a crow hop. Well off comes the child. Our 11 year old just laid across the horses back with his feet up in the air and rolled right on over and off of the horses back. Yep - a small fracture in the left wrist. There was only a little pain that evening and that night, no swelling. We thought, well it is only bruised and sore. Come the next morning there was a little bit of swelling. Off to the emergency room we went, where we spent 5 hours and walked away with a splint and a recommendation to see another doctor on Monday.

Monday - sure enough there is a hairline fracture in the left wrist. A hard cast was put on the wrist and now he has to wear it for almost 4 weeks.

Swimming sure is going to be difficult, but he loves to swim so much it doesn't matter to him.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Have you ever tried your best to get your kids to pay attention? Of course you have. Some lessons just seem like the hardest learned. If that makes sense. LOL

Here is our story about paying attention.Mowing season has finally arrived now that we are getting some rain. We take care of our property and also my mom's property. She has a small yard (1 acre) and it really is pretty easy to mow. Every year, it seems like, I am the one that starts off mowing. I always have to make sure the mower has oil and fuel and so on and so on. If there is a problem I try to fix it, if I can't...Well that is the job for Superman. And every year I always have to start out with a dead battery. It really isn't a big issue, I just pull out the jumper cables. It can get a bit tricky though because the battery is under the seat. The seat has a safety switch that makes the mower shut off when you get off the seat. Hmmm...I think, now how in the world can I put the jumper cables on my SUV battery and then put them on the mower battery while keeping the seat down, while trying to crank (start) the mower. Yes, I have quiet a dilemma here.

Ok - I got it. I look around the seat area of the mower, find the safety switch, figure out just how it works and now just to bypass the darn thing. I found a piece of Sycamore tree bark and wedged it between the contacts. Safety switch is now bypassed. Jumper cables all hooked up and I am ready to turn the key. About mid way between my SUV and the lawn mower, I hear electricity and my middle son holler. Sparks are flying and it is so darn funny, I really thought I would fall on the ground laughing. Needless to say he had gotten on the mower and sat on the seat. This caused the metal on the seat to touch the jumper cables giving him a shock. It is almost as if he flew off the mower.

No harm was done to anything or to anyone. I simply said while I was laughing, "Now you know why you should pay attention". He defiantly agreed.

One night last week our middle son came to us and said that everything under the bathroom sink was wet. Of course it's bedtime when this happens. Just one more thing to keep us all from getting a good nights sleep. LOL

And yes, I am (as usual) the first one to arrive on scene. Sure enough, everything under the bathroom sink was wet. It wasn't wet enough that anything was damaged, just some swollen rolls of toilet paper and a few towels that were damp. The damage could have been bad but the toilet paper and the towels saved the day.I start examining the situation under the sink. In the doorway of the bathroom were 3 boys that wanted to know just what was going on. It kinda reminded me of our "Pulling Teeth" experience. There wasn't a drip that I could see, so I felt around on all of the pipes until I found the culprit. It was the drain pipe, better known as a Pee Trap. I know silly word and that is exactly what the boys thought.

I checked all of the fittings, found one a little loose and gave it a good turn. This fixed the problem. Over time things just kinda work loose or they just get used more often. All of the boys had to ask questions and add in their suggestions and comments on everything that went on. Our oldest boy said that he had read about a Pee Trap once in a Home Improvement book, but it was a trained professional that did the work, not a mom and dad. I loved that little comment. Our boys are starting to see that mom's and dad's are pretty darn smart.

Once again we saved money instead of calling out a plumber. Check things out before you call a professional. But then again you might just be able to call a mom or dad.

After finding our little Blue Jay and nuturing him along, the day has come to set him free. Some people have ask if we would be able to set him free and return him to the wild. Our answer...Of course we will. When we rescue any critter from harms way, our long term goal is to return them to the wild. Our short term goal is to nuture them to the strength that they will be able to survive on their own, the way Mother Nature intended.

This picture is just a few days after we found the baby bird. There are just a hint of tail feathers.

This is the day that I opened the bird cage with the intention of releasing him back to Mother Nature. There certainly are a lot more tail feathers now.

Once I took him out of his bird cage, he wanted to fly around the room. It wasn't easy holding onto him to get these pictures. All of us were so happy that the baby Blue Jay had survived and was able to be released.

Little Baby Blue Jay, how beautiful you have become.

These pictures were taken during the time that we had the Blue Jay. He loved to sit on our shoulders while we walked around the house. For about the first week that he rode on someone's shoulder his grip was almost non-existant. After the first week you could really feel the strength in his feet has he gripped our shoulder or our finger. We didn't let him ride very much on our shoulders because we have cats and dogs in the house. One little leap could have been fatal.

It was a beautiful day when we released him. We released him at the spot where we found him. I held him on my finger and when he was ready to go, he just took off. He flew into a section of woods that fronts our property. He perched on a tree limb and we watched him for about 10 minutes. After all of the kids walked away, I walked over close to the fence and I told the beautiful little bird that if he thought he was not ready that he could come back to me and I would keep him safe. He leaped from branch to branch and seemed very happy. I was sad when I walked away, because I would miss him. I was also happy that I had saved his life and I could return him to the wild where he belongs. Saving and raising the Blue Jay was a very wonderful experience for our family.

Monday, June 18, 2007

I recently packed up my boys and my gift card and off we headed to the city. My gift card was from Mothers Day and it was at my very favorite store. Barnes and Noble Book Store. I love that store. I bought myself a couple of books and of course I had to buy the boys each a book.

As I was browsing around, I came to an area in the childrens section that talked about earning free books. Of course I had to run down a sales person and find out immediately what this was all about.

Since I found this out, the boys have not left me alone about reading. They come to me and say "Mom, can I read to you now." And of course I say yes. What adult in their right mind would turn down a child asking to read?

I have to say that I will miss Karisma very much. I have grown very attached to her and her ranting and raving. I know that we are only a blog away and I look forward to keeping in touch through our blogs and through email.Congratulations on your blog!

Monday, June 11, 2007

I finally get a little bit of a break. Well that is what I call it anyway. The boy's started 4-H Summer Day Camp today. They are taking Sports Fishing I. The boy's have signed up for 3 camps this Summer. All of the camps are day camps. This means that I drop them off in the wee hours of the morning (8am) and pick them up everyday at 4pm. This morning they were so excited and full of energy that is was hard for me to contain them.

I have always dreamed of sending my kids to camp. Even when we didn't have children, I dreamed of someday, someway being able to send our children to a Summer Camp. Today that dream came true, not only for me, but for my husband and for our 3 boy's. Of course they have never been to anything like this before. We have talked to all of them about maybe joining something like Boy Scouts or 4-H. Anything to get them involved in that represents something positive in their lives. Before Friday they really didn't care anything about Boy Scouts or 4-H. But that was before they heard all of the wonderful things that the 4-H does and has. That was before they went with me to sign them up for camp. Now it's all a different story.

My middle child said that there was no way he was going to join the Boy Scouts because he did not want to stand in front of Walmart and sell cookies. He was so serious and funny when he said it. My husband and I tried our best to explain that it is the Girl Scouts that sells the cookies in front of Walmart. He still thinks that it is the Boy Scouts. LOL

Ever since Friday all of the boy's are all wanting to join 4-H. They want to join all the camps, clubs and groups that 4-H has to offer.

Me - well I am certainly enjoying my little quiet time. A great big thank you to my husband for allowing me to have this time to and for myself. Another great big thank you to our Gardian Ad Litem for making 5 people's dream come true. Thank you Superman! Thank you Ms. Maggie!

As careful as I try to be...It happened to me. What has happened? Someone managed to get into my ebay account, one of my email accounts and my paypal account. I am a suspicious person by nature. I am always careful and try to stay out of harms way.I have no idea how it happended to me. But I know it can happen to you, too.

Here are my suggestions.1. Do not use the same password for all of your accounts.2. Change your password.3. Be extremely cautious and suspect everyone and every website.4. Do not give any information over the internet or over the phone.5. Get a call back number and call the company or person back before you give out any info.6. Be careful!

I am hoping that who ever got into those accounts of mine did not go any deeper and find out any more info. Regardless, I am changing every password and every account that I can think to change.

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

I think that I mentioned a couple things about me. I want to Homeschool our boys, however, I haven't quiet made the decision to Homeschool them yet. One thing that I have just started is that I am Summer Homeschooling our boys.I started out with my 3 boys. Their ages are 9, 11 and 13. This Monday (yesterday) the 3 neighbor children joined us for class. Their ages are 7, 9 and 11. Our public school has all of the children in the following grades: 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th. So you can see the range of grades that I am working with. We all read together as a group. Even the younger ones read aloud in class. I have even assigned them spelling words that will benefit all of the age ranges and grade levels. They all help each other out and I try to get them to learn a little patience while listening to each other. It isn't easy but they are all trying and that is part of learning.

I have found some wonderful links where you can print out free worksheet. Our boys really enjoy working together as a group and working on their own with the worksheets.Some of these websites are free to join, others thre is a fee. I find free worksheets and information on all of the links.

Also - I wanted to invite you to join me on Gather, a social networking site where people like us meet, talk, and stay in touch -- all for free. The content is great and ranges from politics to cooking, plus you can publish your own articles or photos and comment on other's contributions. We even earn Gather Points just by using the site! You can exchange your points for great stuff like books, CDs, wine, and vacations. Check it out! Hope to see you on Gather.

Friday, June 01, 2007

We have had our little Baby Blue Jay for 5 days now. He certainly is growing and doing really well. I was concerned the first day that I found him because I really didn't think that he would

make it. His little feathers are growing so fast it seems that I can almost watch them grow. It won't be long now and off he will be flying.

Here are some pictures that I took of him today. While I wait for the pictures to upload, I just went in to feed him. He was on the bottom of the cage and when I opened the door he jumped up to the opening in door. How awesome! I put him on my shoulder and took him in to my husband. The bird tried to leap/fly onto my husbands desk. He is really making progress!

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About Me

I enjoy the simple life. Life has changed so much for me in the past few years. I divorced and dated and now engaged. I'm excited about the possibility of another chance to be a wife. I grew up on a farm where we had chickens, cows and pigs. At one point my parents messed up and let me have a horse. I say messed up because I love horses so much that I cannot imagine life without at least one. My favorite smells are puppy breath and horses. I love to garden and get my hands dirty. I enjoy crafts, board games, gardening, family, church, reading and so much more.
I've been away for a little while. I think I became bored with blogging. I'm not going to tie myself to the computer anymore. I'll be here from time to time.